The lies we tell

The voices fell silent, and I slowly blinked my eyes open to find four pairs of eyes staring down at me. They were all here.

Brilliant.

I moved into a seated position, supporting my back against the wooden headboard behind me. The dull thud of music I’d heard earlier had gone, the house quiet. I licked my dry lips and spoke, directing my question at no one in particular. “What’s going on?”

“You’re hurt.” Cassius sat on the edge of the bed, eyeing me with concern. “What happened to your face?”

“Someone thought it would be a great idea to tackle me to the floor, and I scraped my face along the carpet.”

“You shouldn’t have kneed me in the balls, should you?” Caiden shot me one of his hostile glares, and I looked away, unable to find the strength to go up against him right now. I was tired, in pain, and my friend tequila was no longer my friend. The throbbing headache it had left me with just added to the pain in my face, and I groaned.

Cassius grasped my chin gently, his fingers skimming over the carpet burns on my nose and head, and I hissed.

“Sorry. I’ll get something to help.” He stood and walked out of the room, while the other three remained standing, their poses mirroring each other—crossed arms and tense bodies.

“I’m going to check the feeds.” At least, I think that was what Weston mumbled before he turned on his heel and left us, throwing me a sad smile, disappointment clear in his eyes.

Cassius returned with his arms full of supplies, setting them on the table next to the bed. “Let’s patch you up, babe.” He dipped a cotton ball in a bowl of cool water and brought it to my face, dabbing it on my skin.

“Ow. That stings.”

“Got to get it clean. It won’t hurt for long. Take your mind off your pain by imagining all the ways you could inflict pain on Cade.”

Despite myself, I laughed, glancing over at Caiden to see a tiny smile appear on his lips, which disappeared almost instantly. Our eyes met, and we both looked away quickly. Zayde stared between us, his face expressionless, before he turned and left the room, leaving me with Caiden and Cassius.

“We need to have a talk,” Cassius a

“Hang on, why aren’t you wearing a shirt?” I’d barely been aware of my surroundings, but now I noticed how Cassius was only wearing a pair of grey sweatpants, his muscles rippling and flexing, tattoos snaking up both arms. I tilted my head, studying the intricate designs.

He gave me a sly grin, leaning back and ru

I blushed, turning away from him, catching Caiden’s eye. He was glaring. Again. Although this time, it was directed at Cassius.

Cassius followed my line of sight, and he sighed heavily. “I’m going to get a T-shirt. Can I trust you two not to kill each other while I’m gone?”

I shrugged. “Bring a towel back with you in case there’s a bloodbath.”

He snorted and left us alone.

“Plastic sheets.” Caiden spoke softly.

“Huh?”

“If we put them down on the floor, it’s easier to clean up. No blood staining the carpet.”

“Okay, now I’m disturbed. How—no, I don’t even want to know.”

“You brought up the bloodbath.”

“You basically attacked me.”

“You graffitied my car. You don’t want to start a war with me, Snowflake. You won’t win.”

“A war? Look, I’m sorry I defaced such a pretty car, but you had it coming.”

“Such a girl. My car is not ‘pretty.’ And I did not have it coming. That paint better wash off, or I’ll be sending you the bill.” His words were hissed through gritted teeth.

“It is. And you did. And, please, like you can’t afford to have it cleaned off. May I remind you, you started this whole thing by keying my car.”

“That thing is a heap of junk. I improved it, if anything.”

“How is writing the word ‘whore’ improving it?” My voice rose in frustration. “It’s a horrible, asshole-ish thing to do.”

He ignored my comments. “Why are you driving that piece of crap around, anyway? Can’t mother dearest buy you a better one?”

“I’ll never take any money from her,” I bit out. “It’s bad enough that I had to use her name—your name—just to get into this bloody university. I don’t want to owe her anything.”

He stared at me, his stormy eyes clouding over. “I don’t understand.”

“What exactly don’t you understand?”

Cassius chose that moment to walk back into the room, a black T-shirt covering his impressive torso. “Look at that. No blood. You can play nicely together.”

Caiden took a step back, his face smoothing into an impassive mask. “I’m out of here. Get her out of my sight.”

And there he was, back to being an asshole again. Just when we were having our first civil-ish interaction. Or argument. Whatever. I rolled my eyes as he left the room.

“Right, if we’re done here, I’m going home. I’ve got a tequila hangover already and a ten-o’clock lecture, and it’s—what time is it?”

“Two fifteen.”

“Great.”

“Probably wasn’t the best idea to drink tequila on a school night, was it?” Cassius raised a brow at me.

“Ugh. Don’t remind me.” I stood, gripping my head as the headache returned with a vengeance.

“You’re not riding that bike back home,” he stated.

“How did you know I rode a bike here?”

“Security cameras. West saw you on the feeds.”

Oh.

“Can you drive me?”

“Sorry, babe. I’ve had a few beers; I’m over the limit. I don’t think any of us are under. I’ll call you a cab. Or…” A mischievous expression crossed his face. “You can crash here if you want?”

Here? Bad, bad idea.

“What? Here? Are you serious? Won’t His Highness go mad?”

“I really want to be there when you call him that to his face,” he smirked. “Yeah, stay here. Cade needs a bit of payback for keying your car, and seeing your pretty face tomorrow morning should a

Should I stay? It was a terrible idea, but I found myself agreeing. Partly because I was feeling the effects of the tequila and I really, really needed to sleep, but if I was honest with myself, it was mostly for the fact that it would piss Caiden off. I touched my head gingerly, wincing as my fingers came into contact with the carpet burn. It would take more than me staying over to pay him back for what he’d done to me, but it was a way to get under his skin, so I’d take it. “I really don’t think seeing my face is punishment enough for him keying my car. But whatever, I’ll stay. And yes, I’ll cook breakfast, if that’s what you’re trying to ask me.”

“Good. You can sleep in my bed if you want?”

“I thought you said I was off limits?”

He sighed. “Yeah, better not. Stay in here, then. It’s our spare bedroom. You’ve got a bathroom through there, and you can lock the door from the inside if you want to.”

“Thanks. You’re really not so bad.”

“I’m fucking awesome. You’re not so bad, yourself. I’ll get you something to wear.”

He disappeared out of the room and returned a few minutes later with a soft black T-shirt that he threw onto the bed.

“There you go. Sweet dreams, Winter.”